


Touch Starved

by onlyhereforthesmut



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Everybody is in Denial, F/M, Non-Consensual Cuddling, Non-Consensual Touching, Shocking I know, Soft Ending, Touch-Starved Jonathan Crane, at first, it's more like denial actually, no smut in this one, please god I just want a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:49:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27039748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforthesmut/pseuds/onlyhereforthesmut
Summary: In which Crane doesn't know how to deal with physical affection and Ivy does.
Relationships: Jonathan Crane/Pamela Isley
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

Ivy felt the exact moment he woke up. His entire body went stiff and his breathing abruptly became sharper and faster, despite his attempt to hide it. She didn’t stop running her fingers through his hair. It was softer than she’d imagined it, longer too, though she had only seen him with his mask fully off a couple of times. She had always thought that he would keep it close cropped or tied back, but when she had pulled his mask off she had been greeted with a tangle of almost fluffy hair. It had been a nice surprise. 

Crane jerked up, trying to break away from her, but the vines encircling his limbs tightened and pulled his head back into her lap. She glanced down at him. He had looked so much more peaceful under the sway of her toxins. Shame. “Ivy what the hell?” he spluttered as he tried to jerk away from her hands. “I could ask you the same” she said as she smoothed a thumb over the crease forming between his eyebrows. “You know what happens when you sneak through my territory without permission”. He flinched away, or tried to at least. Ivy fisted her hand in his hair and wrenched his head back to look at her. Strangely, he seemed to mind that less. 

“I wasn’t going to do anything” he growled at her through gritted teeth, “I just needed a shortcut”. She stared down at him, expressionless, and lightly caressed his cheek. He convulsed like she had shocked him. “Stop that.” “Stop what?” She asked, looking at him innocently, “this?” Her fingers traced his cheekbone and his face contorted. Interesting. Ivy let go of his hair and watched him. The sharp angles of his face stood out against the gentle curve of her thighs. Experimentally, she dug her hand into his hair again. He tensed again, and his shoulders shot up. “What is with you” she mused idly as she massaged his scalp. “What’s with  _ me _ ?” Crane squawked “what’s with  _ you _ ?” She briefly considered telling him the truth. Instead she said, “I was bored”. He made another indigent noise when she cupped his jaw almost affectionately. It gave her an idea.

“Tell me” her hair flowed over her shoulder like a red curtain as she leaned over him “how long has it been since you were touched like this?” He set his jaw and glared up at her. His stare told her a lot of things, mainly how much he wanted to hurt her, but she thought she caught something else in there too. Ivy traced a finger over the bridge of his nose and smiled as he tried to stop himself from jerking. She could tell it had been broken in a few places by the uneven bumps and the subtle change in angel. 

“What do you want from me?” 

His words were softer than before, more controlled, but still dripping with malice. Her index finger brushed over a light scar on his temple. She could feel him trying to sneakily kick off the vines around his legs.

“Nothing”

“Then why am I still here?”

Whether he meant in her lap or alive she wasn’t sure, but both were good questions. She had thought about killing him, she really had, but she had had a long day and she wasn’t in the mood. As for why she had pulled the dazed man onto her lap and started playing with his hair… Well, the truth was she wasn’t really sure. Maybe it was because nobody, friendly or otherwise, had wandered into her forest in days. Maybe it was because he had been less disgusting that she had expected. Maybe she was just lonely. Instead Ivy just said “I was bored” again and ran her fingers over the bags under his eyes. Crane’s lips curled away from his teeth in a sneer. He tried to bolt again, managing to sit up most of the way this time before being yanked back down with a hiss. Red marks were visible around his wrists where her vines bit into his exposed skin. He thrashed one more time before dropping his head back into her lap and glowering up at her. 

Ivy gently scraped her fingers against his scalp. Had it been her imagination, or did his head just tilt towards her hand? Intrigued, she did it again, pulling back just a little at the end. Sure enough, his head moved slightly towards her as she pulled away. The way he was scowling made her think he wasn’t even aware of it. She smirked down at him as a realization dawned on her. “what?” he demanded. She didn’t answer. “What?” he repeated, louder this time. 

“You’re touch starved”

A mix of disbelief and anger flooded his face as she cupped the side of his head with her palm. “I am perfectly fine” he spat as he subconsciously leaned into her touch. His breathing had noticeably sped up. “There’s no shame in it,” Ivy cooed, smoothing her thumb over his lips “I’m sure anyone in your position would get  _ lonely _ ” She drew out the last word and looked down at him through her eyelashes. Her hair fell around his face, blocking out the room from his view and lacing the air around him with the smell of flowers. He was almost hyperventilating. She almost felt bad for him. 

Crane swallowed as she moved closer and closer to his face. His eyes flicked between her eyes and her lips, half in panic and half in an emotion she couldn’t place. He was fully leaning into her hand now and part of him seemed to realize that. Vines coiled under his back and pushed him up towards her. His eyes half closed as she cupped his face in her hands and brought it closer to her. Her breath ghosted over her face as she held their lips centimeters apart. 

“Run”

Confusion flickered across his face as Ivy shoved him away from her, her vines uncoiling from his body. He landed ungracefully on the floor in front of her. He scrambled to his feet and took off, glancing back at her only once as he disappeared into the foliage. She couldn’t place the expression on his face, but it didn’t matter. He would be back. She still had his mask. 


	2. Chapter 2

It took him two days to come marching back into her forest. It was two days longer than Ivy had expected. His footsteps were loud and deliberate as he approached her, like he was trying to prove something. She ran the burlap of Crane’s mask through her fingers and watched him. He was wearing a cloth mask over his mouth and his shirt looked thicker than before. Dark eyes glared out from the sharp lines of his face. The bags under his eyes had somehow gotten deeper.

“Mask. Now.” He growled. 

Ivy tucked a long strand of red hair behind her ear and threaded her fingers through some loose burlap strands. He looked tired. Angry and tired. His shoulders were tense and he was glaring at her so fiercely that she wasn’t sure this was entirely to do to the mask. “Is that why you came here?” she asked, “just for this?” She swore she saw him falter. “I am not touch starved” he spit the last two words like they were a curse, “I don’t even  _ like _ people”. 

Ivy uncrossed her long legs and watched him, the mask laying forgotten beside her. “I don’t like people and I still get lonely”. She had meant it to come out more seductive than it did, but her words hung painfully naked in the air. He paused again. She was losing control of the situation fast. Ivy pushed off her seat towards him. His eyes followed her swinging hips cautiously as she moved closer and closer to him. He looked like he wanted to bolt, but he stayed firmly planted to the ground as she stepped into his personal space. He smelled like burlap and chemicals. 

Crane’s breath was even and controlled as he stared down at the woman inches from touching him. He almost looked pretty from this angle, if only she could see his mouth. Ivy’s fingers brushed up his masked jaw towards the loop holding it in place around his ear. He jerked his head away from her. “Trust me” she crooned. Her hand rested on his chest. His pupils dilated. “I don’t,” he muttered back. A smart choice. His pulse hammered under her fingers. Ivy tried again. He tensed as she worked the loop over his ear, but did not flinch. The mask fell away easily. 

She smoothed her fingers over his cheek. He jumped slightly as they climbed his face into his hair. Had it been this soft last time? Ivy couldn’t remember. She didn’t really care. He leaned against her touch, his lips slightly parted and his eyes half closed. His hands landed gently on her waist. The contact sent a jolt through her body. His fingers were calloused and rough against her back, his blunt nails digging in slightly as she stroked his hair. His eyes drifted half closed. He looked peaceful. 

Ivy steeled herself and pulled away from him. He swayed towards her as she stepped back, his hand curling as they slipped from her waist. She missed the contact immediately. Their eyes stayed locked. God damn it. Ivy took Crane’s hand and pulled him deeper into the foliage. She was losing her touch. They stepped through a plant covered door into a small room with a bed in the center. Crane dug his heels in and stopped them at the doorway. She turned to look at him. His face was unreadable. “Calm down, it’s just a bed” she murmured, pulling at his hand. He gave her a long look and stepped into the room. 

She pulled him down onto the mattress with her. His arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her against his chest. His head tucked under her chin as she curled into him. His breath was warm on her collarbone and his skin was smooth under her fingers. When had she gotten so soft? The rhythm of his chest was slow and even against her. She was tired. Just five more minutes wouldn’t hurt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Touch starvation is also referred to as "skin hunger", witch sounds much more ominous.

**Author's Note:**

> This one was interesting to write because I forced myself to write entirely from Ivy's perspective. I'm much more comfortable writing Crane(for reasons I don't understand), so I wanted to get into her headspace a bit more.


End file.
